School of Engineering first and second quarter 2020 awards
Faculty members recognized for excellence via a diverse array of honors, grants, and prizes over the past two quarters.
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Bringing RNA into genomics
ENCODE consortium identifies RNA sequences that are involved in regulating gene expression.
Study: A plunge in incoming sunlight may have triggered “Snowball Earths”
Findings also suggest exoplanets lying within habitable zones may be susceptible to ice ages.
Ila Fiete studies how the brain performs complex computations
The MIT professor takes a mathematical approach to exploring memory, navigation, and other neural functions.
The tenured engineers of 2020
Eight faculty members have been granted tenure in five departments across the School of Engineering.
![“The biology [around gut bacteria’s influence on health] is fairly complex, and we’re still in the early days of unravelling it, but there have been a number of clinical studies that have reported benefits to restoring gut health, and that’s our north star: the clinical data,” Finch co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Smith PhD ’14 says.](/sites/default/files/styles/search_result_item/public/images/202007/MIT-Finch-01.jpg?itok=_a5NUno0)
Finch Therapeutics unleashes the power of the gut
The company is developing treatments that restore gut bacteria in people struggling with a range of diseases.
Gene-controlling mechanisms play key role in cancer progression
Study finds “epigenomic” alterations evolve as lung tumors become more aggressive and metastasize.
3 Questions: Ibrahim Cissé on using physics to decipher biology
A physicist employs super-resolution microscopy to peer inside living cells and witness never-before-seen phenomena.
Engineering superpowered organisms for a more sustainable world
MIT students explore algal water purifiers, programmable soil bacteria, and other biological engineering approaches to food and water security.
In his element in the chem lab and the kickboxing ring
PhD student Levi Knippel is dedicated to making the Department of Chemistry “a community that everyone wants to be a part of.”
Seemingly similar, two neurons show distinct styles as they interact with the same muscle partner
Diversity in how cells talk to the muscle they innervate reveal distinct propensities for change, or “plasticity.”
A mechanical way to stimulate neurons
Magnetic nanodiscs can be activated by an external magnetic field, providing a research tool for studying neural responses.
Faculty receive funding to develop artificial intelligence techniques to combat Covid-19
C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute awards $5.4 million to top researchers to steer how society responds to the pandemic.
LEAH Knox Scholars Program kicks off fourth summer
The science program for local high school students is remote this year, as MIT instructors create at-home lab experiences.
Communicating the “beauty and complexity” of science
With a newly minted PhD, Fernanda de Araújo Ferreira now explores the scientific enterprise through journalism.